Batman Forever: It’s Time to Release the Schumacher Cut

Batman Forever was a transitional film in the history of Batman on screen and superhero movies in general, which is why it’s important that the original cut of the film submitted by director Joel Schumacher finally see the light of day.

It was 30 years ago this month that Warner Bros. Pictures released Batman Forever, the follow-up to Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), and the first of the studio’s modern live-action Batman movies not directed by Tim Burton. To take the franchise in a lighter, more kid-friendly direction, Warner Bros. executives turned to Schumacher, a director known for delivering commercial fare with an edge in films like St. Elmo’s Fire, Lost Boys, Flatliners, and Falling Down.

Schumacher’s Batman Forever also starred Val Kilmer in his one-and-done appearance as the Dark Knight, replacing Michael Keaton while also introducing Chris O’Donnell as Robin and utilizing Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones as the Riddler and Two-Face respectively. Sticking to the studio’s mandate, Batman Forever was indeed a more colorful, brighter, campier affair—closer in spirit to the ‘60s TV show than Burton’s more Gothic entries—and audiences responded in kind to the tune of $337 million in worldwide box office. (That’s about $708 million in 2025 dollars.)

What happened next is perhaps the most infamous chapter in the Caped Crusader’s cinematic history: Schumacher was pressured to take the next film even further in the same direction, resulting in the disastrous Batman & Robin, which killed the property at the box office for nearly a decade. And Batman Forever, despite its financial success, was seen as the starting point for the saga’s creative failures, even though the film has perhaps the most solid narrative structure of the original four Batman movies. But that’s not the whole story of this most ’90s of Bat-flicks…

A Longer Batman Forever Exists

For years rumors have persisted about a “director’s cut” of Batman Forever—a longer version of the film that was Schumacher’s original vision and apparently closer to the Gothic tone of the Burton films. Schumacher, who died in 2020, had mentioned that his first cut of the film ran two hours and 40 minutes, and speculation about the longer cut began to pick up anew after the director’s death. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman also confirmed the existence of the longer edit, suggesting that all the footage still existed if Warner Bros. wanted to restore it.

Some of the footage has in fact surfaced online, and Kevin Smith screened a personal copy of the longer cut’s workprint for a private audience in 2023. Among the scenes that were omitted from the original release are more explorations of the psychology of Bruce Wayne with the help of love interest/psychiatrist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), a different opening in which we see how Two-Face escapes from prison, and a scene where Bruce hallucinates a confrontation with a giant bat that actually made it into some commercials for the film. This version of the film is said to focus more on the duality of Bruce/Batman vs. that of the villains, in particular Two-Face, and loses some of the one-liners and campier elements in favor of a more serious tone.

There has been fan interest in seeing the restored Batman Forever, but Warner Bros. has been silent on it, especially as the company has gone through a number of upheavals over the past few years. But the interest is still out there, as evidenced by a screening that was supposed to be held last month by a Los Angeles video store until Warner Bros. put the kibosh on it, not to mention that directors’ cuts of Superman II, Daredevil, and Justice League all exist (although David Ayer’s apparently preferred version of Suicide Squad remains in limbo).

It’s About Honoring the Director and Star

It’s time now, three full decades after the theatrical version’s release, to release the Schumacher cut of Batman Forever. Estimates on how much a complete restoration would cost—which would include editing, additional music and visual effects, color timing, and more—are hard to pin down. Still, if Warner Bros. coughed up tens of millions for Zack Snyder to complete his version of Justice League, surely it could spring for this.

But this isn’t about restoring some fandom’s idol; it’s honoring the memory of Joel Schumacher, a talented filmmaker who made not just a lot of good movies but brought in plenty of cheddar for Warner Bros. over the years. His whole legacy has been stained by the fan animosity toward both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Restoring his original concept of the former might finally allow fans to see that he had something a bit different, and more credible, in mind than what the studio wanted.

A director’s cut of Batman Forever would also be a nice tribute to Val Kilmer, who is likewise no longer with us and whose turn in the cape and cowl has been somewhat underappreciated over the years. Seeing the longer cut of the film, with more emphasis on the psychology and trauma of Bruce Wayne, might give some additional luster to his sole outing in the role and also possibly prove that Batman might have been the main character for once in the four entries of the Burton/Schumacher cycle, which all spent a lot more time with their villains.

Finally a restored Batman Forever might give this hotly debated film a second chance at both life and respect. If some of the reports are true, the unseen Batman Forever links more coherently with the Burton films while also evolving away from them in a much smoother, less abrupt manner. If this Batman Forever ends with Bruce Wayne resolving his guilt over his parents’ death, accepting his dual existence, and bringing Robin into the fold, perhaps it works as the conclusion of a trilogy that began with a dance with the devil in the pale moonlight. Then we can all forget about Batman & Robin once and for all. Nothing will ever redeem that movie.